Walking as Drawing

Walking as Drawing

Jatiwangi Art Factory, West Java, Indonesia: 7.30.11



11 people gathered at the Jatiwangi Art Factory on July 30th, 2011. They walked through the small village of Jatiwangi for one hour, thinking of their paths as drawings. Thanks to everyone who came out to participate!

This was the first time I have made a drawing with a group in a more rural setting. I think it is interesting how the lines are much more varied and erratic because there are small alleys and passageways everywhere. The aerial view shows that the houses developed without a city plan. This area is known for producing the ceramic roof tiles that most Indonesian houses utilize. These tiles are used all over the village: to construct walls, for walkways, and for ornamentation.

Jatiwangi Art Factory
is located in the center of the village, and is housed in a roof tile factory. Arief Yudi and a group of 38 artists, musicians, designers, video and producers have created a strong art residency and art production space that focuses on interaction with the community. They still run a ceramic shop and produce musical instruments and record interesting percussion music. The have an independent radio station in the back yard as well!


We met in the gallery space and discussed the project. Then they walked for an hour. One participant said that this was the first time he had walked through Jatiwangi village. Most people use motorcycles to get around.

The next day I ran a workshop on 'Experimental Drawing' and we created a series of process works. It was great to interact with artists and musicians on this level. Even though we spoke different languages, we were able to communicate through art making, and they poured a lot of energy into their artwork.

Thanks to Jatiwangi Art Factory for hosting me! It was great to see a group of artists so motivated to link their artwork with the community.









Civilian Art Projects-Washington, DC: 7.9.2011


13 people gathered at Civilian Art Projects, on 7th Street NW in Washington, DC on July 9th, 2011 and walked for 30 minutes to create this drawing. Armed with a map and a marker, participants were asked to think of their path as a drawing. Thanks to all who helped out.


We did a Walking as Drawing project in DC last week and here are the preliminary sketches. This one was 30 minutes long, and everybody returned to Civilian Art Projects at the end of the walk.


The animation was projected on white vinyl floor screen at the Art Museum of the Americas in Washington, DC

Cuzco, Peru: 6.28.11


17 American students from St. Mary's College of Maryland met in Plaza de Armas and walked for two hours. They then mapped their paths and I animated them to create a collaborative time-based drawing.

O'Miami Festival: Miami, FL: 4.10.11





In April I traveled down to Miami to collaborate with KC Culver, professor of English at the University of Miami. We created a project that combined the Walking as Drawing project with poetry. The event was hosted at ArtSeen, a gallery in the Wynwood area as a part of the O'Miami Festival.

A group people gathered and we talked to them about the concept of the derive, which is when "one or more persons during a certain period drop their relations, their work and leisure activities, and all their other usual motives for movement and action, and let themselves be drawn by the attractions of the terrain and the encounters they find there." (www.bopsecrets.org)


 

We gave them maps and let them roam for 2 hours. It was a really interesting group from a variety of backgrounds (architecture, creative writing, theory, fluxus, poetry). We had a nice discussion about the walks and what drew us to walk in certain directions (fear, hunger, shade, safety).  
We created a website for the project and published a piece of writing from each participant. Check it out here: 
http://deriveproject.com 
http://omiami.org/

When: April 9 - 1:00pm
What: Dérive Miami
Where:
Artseen, Wynwood Who: KC Culver & Billy Friebele

Info: “Under the cobblestones, the beach!” Join us for a Miamian take on the Situationist practice of the dérive. Poets and guests will drifting through Wynwood and writing poems about their experiences. Afterward, an online map of the routes taken and poems written will be created by Friebele.